Sectional furniture



Aug. 19 1924. 1,505,308

- H. H. BROWN SECTIONAL FURNITURE Filed Sept. 21 1923 3 Shoots-Sheet 1 H. H. BROWN Aug.19,1'924. 1,505,308

SECTIONAL FURNITURE Filed Sept. 21. 1923 3 Shuts-Shut 2 W v t 2d egs; I I 367ml I H H BROWN SECTIONAL FURNITURE Filed Sept. 21. 1923 Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

antral) STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nanny HANSEN mm, or; cnrcaeo, rumors, assrenon T0 INTERNA'HONAL snow case conrm, or cnrcaao, rumors, A conronarron or rumors.

SEGTIONAL FURNITURE.

Application filed September 21, 1923. Serial No. 664,059.

To'allwhovnitmy aomem:

Be it known that I, HENRY H. BROWN, a-citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State vof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional Furniture, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to sectional furniture and has more particular reference to interchangeable shelving and units such as are now generally installed in mercantile establishments and upon or in which merchandise is placed for storage and display.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a structure that is adapted for ready assembly or disassembly and which maybe in the form of shelving or may be changed to units of the compartment or hinged door type. This form of structure is very desirable in mercantile establishments for displaying furnishings and sundries in wearing apparel lines, as it will permit the Storekeeper to readily change the installed structure or shelving to acompart- 'ment or door type unit without the neces sity of having new structures built, or may transfer or interchange the shelving or units as often as the requirements of the establishment may demand.-

.Another object of my invention resides in providing means for closing the space between adjacent stacks, of shelving by means of a pilaster that is removably mounted upon a frame that stands uprightbetween adjacent stacks of shelving and sup- .ports the shelves of the respective stacks.

and when the units are substituted for the shelving the shelf cleats may be removed and the frame placed between stacks of units toreceive the pilaster in the same manner as on the shelving:- The structure is so made that the shelves may be removed from one section and the pilaster disconnected, and the stack of sectional units may be placed against the frame and the pilaster replaced to obscure the joint between the respective elements so {that shelving. will be positioned upon one side of the pilaster and compartment units on the other side thereof. 4

In connection with the shelving structure, I have provided novel cleats for supporting the shelves, which cleats are removably and adjustably connected with the frames in an effective and dependable manner.

Further objects will be obvious to others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, and I prefer to carry out my invention by means of the structure shown in the accompan ing drawings, which latter form a part of this specification in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a stack of shelving showing the application of my invention thereto.

Fi 2 is a erspective of the intermediate rame witli placed at one side thereof ready for assembly.

Fig. 3 is an enla ged horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of igure 1.

Fig.4 is a vertical section of my invention taken through the pilaster and forward. member of the intermediate frame, the view being on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.v

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showthe pilaster detached and ing the pilaster just prior to assembly or disassembly.

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the structure of the front rail of the intermediate frame at the location of the pilasterg attaching means.

Fig. 7 is a perspective of the rear means.

Fig. 8 is a top plan showing the applica- Fig. 9 is a perspective of my improved cleat.

Fig. '10 is a perspective of a portion of a vertical rail of the frame and short lengths of the cleats.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmental plan of the shelving and a unit of compartments side by side.

In the drawings similar reference characters have been employed to desi ate the same parts throughout the several news, and

by referring first'to Figures 1 and 2, my invention preferably comprises an open frame consisting of top and bottom horizontal rails 10 and 11 that are connected at their ends by vertically disposed front and rear posts 12 and '13 respectively. The adjacent or facing surfaces of the front and rear posts 12 and 13 are each provided with or- 35 tion of the pilaster showing the attacl fing horizontal recesses 14 to receive opposite ends of the shelf-supporting cleats 15,v the ends of which latter are suitably shaped as will be hereinafter described so as to bewith each other in two of the spaced frames,

. and as seen in Figure 3, the shelves 16 have their corners cut in to form angular recesses 17 that fit the corners of the reas to co-act with the spective frame members or posts 12 and 13, and when the shelving is to be continued from an end frame member past a second and to a third or fourth frame member, shelves 16 will extend only to midway the width of the tops of the cleats 15 as seen in Figure 3. With this structure a single group of shelves may be placed in a store,

or a plurality of such structures may be placed side by side. i

In order to finish the front of the structure, especially where a plurality of shelf groups are employed, and also for the purpose of obscuring the. joints or meeting spaces between the shelves and the front post 12 of the frame,'I have devised the pilaster structure shown in detail herein. This p-ilaster comprises a strip 18 of a suitable height to extend from the top to the bottom of the shelving or stack of compartment units and is preferably of the same height as the intermediate frames heretofore described, and its width is suflicient to extend beyond and cover the junctures designated as a; in Figure 3 of the drawings between the ends of each shelf and the post or frame member 12. In order to remov ably and readily mount thevpilaster upon the post or frame memioer12, I provide a recess 19 in the front post, which recess may be readily formed by several kerfs of a circle saw, and I bridge the central portron of this recess with a cross pieoe'20, preferably a metal bar or the like, and secure the same to the post or front upright member by means of screws that pass through the bar and into the post upon each side of the recess 19. Secured to the rear face of the pilaster 18 in such a position bridge piece 20 is a yieldable latch member 21 in the form of a strip of spring metal that is straight at one end where it is secured to the rear of the pilaster, and beyond or below said straight portion the strip is deflected obhquely away from the pilaster as at 22 (Figure 7). At the end of the oblique portlon, the strip is formed into a compound or ogee bend 23 that disposes its lower end portion adjacent to the surface of the pilaster and provides an upturned lip to permlt of its easy assembly with the cross 12 with the yieldable locking with the shelf structure, the same is placed over and against the front surface of post piece. 21" in the recess 19 of the post as seen m Figure 5. The pilaster is then given a sli ht downward movement which causes t e lip 24 and ogee portion 23 of the yieldable strip a to ride over the cross bar 20 until the latter is positioned between opposite ends of the metal strip as seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, in which position the pilaster is removably but firmly held in place and is maintained against the lateral movement or displacement.

When the merchant or Storekeeper desires to utilize the compartment units and units having closed doors and a plurality of such units laced one upon the other to provide a stac such structure is assembled next to the shelving structure in the manner illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings in which the stack of units is indicated bythe numeral 25 and positioned to abut the frame at the adjacent end vof'the shelving. n will 9 be observed the pilaster now covers and obscures a space or joint between the meeting edges of the frame and the stack of units infthe same manner as the pilaster performs this function when it is assembled in the manner shown in Figure 3 between the adjacent side .by side stacks ofshelving.

The shelf-supporting cleats 15 hereinbe-,

fore mentioned are preferably formed from angle-metal of substantially L-shape in cross-sections, and disposed with one flange 26 vertical and the lateral flange 27 vhorizontal and uppermost.

so that the ends of the verticalflange 26 provide extensions or arms 28 projecting longitudinally beyond the ends of said horizontal flange and adjacent their ends these extens ons are bent laterally inwardly as at 29. Thus it will be seen the extensions or arms are of L-shape in horizontal section or The end portions 4 'of the horizontal flange 27. are cut away 27 are inserted into the ends of the-horizontal recesses 14 in said frame members and the cleats horizontally along in. said re-,

cesses' until the lateral portions 29 of the L-shaped extensions are positioned in the adjacent portions of the grooves 30. The

shelvesmay now be placed upon the upper flanges of horizontally alining cleats 15 "of the spaced frames and the structure will be rigid and prevented, to a more or less extent, from swaying or becoming distorted. It will be understood that when two sections or groups of shelving are to be placed side byside to provide a solid structure, each of the upright frame members 12 and 13 will receive a pair of oppositely arrangedcleats I 15 with the lateral portions 29 of the L- shaped extensions dispose-d towards each other as seen'in the drawings, but whenever .a stack of units is placed next a-group of shelves, thecleats are mounted upon the side of the frame from which the shelves extend and the unit is set so that the adjacent end abuts the frame on the side of the latter opposite the shelves, as shown in Figure 8.

I From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be obvious that divers changes may be made without mate- I rially departing from the. principles of my pair of upright members, said upright members provided upon their front faces with recesses, cross pieces bridging said recesses,

and pilasters fitting the front faces of said upright members and provided with means for engagement with said cross-pieces whereby said pilasters are removably maintained in position. p v I 2. A store fixture comprising a plurality of upright members, a plurality of shelves having their ends supported upon a spaced pair of upright members, said upright membersprovided with recesses upon their front faces, cross-pieces bridging said recesses, pllasters fittingthe front faces of said up rlght members, and means carried upon the rear faces of said pilasters and co-acting with said crosspieces wherby said pila'sters are removably maintained in position.

I 3. A 'store fixture comprising a plurality, of upright members, a plurality of shelves having their ends supported upon a spaced pair of upright members, said members provlded with recesses upon their front faces; cross-pieces bridging said recesses, pilasters fitting the front faces of said upright members, and spring clips secured to the rear. f'faces of sald pilasters and adapted to coact withsaid cross-pieces when said pilasters are inposition, whereby said pilasters are removably maintained upon said upright members. 7

4. A store fixture comprising a plurality of upright members, shelvessupported by a pair of spacedmembers, alplurality of finish1ng members normally positioned at the front faces of said upright members, a spring clip upon one of said members, and a co-acting cross-piece upon-an adjacent member whereby said finishing member is re movably maintained in position.

5. A store fixture comprising a plurality of upright-members, shelves supported by a pair of spaced members, a pluralityof finishing members normally positioned at the front faces of said upright members, a spring clip upon each of said finishing members, and a co-acting cross-piece upon'anadjacent upright member whereby to removably maintain said finishing member in position.

6. A store fixture comprising a plurality of upright members each consistingofan open frame, shelves supported. by the vertical portions of said members, a plurality of finishing members positioned fiat against the outer faces of the front vertical portions of said upright members, aspring clip upon one of said members, and, .co-acting crosspieces upon the faces of adjacent members whereby said finishing members are removably maintained flat against the outer faces of the front vertical portions of'the upright members, and overlie the joints between 'the .shelves'and the respective upright members.

7. A store fixture comprising a plurality of upright members each consisting of 'an open frame, shelves supported by the vertical portions of said frames, a plurality of pilasters of greater width than the front faces of the adjacent vertical members of said frames, said vertical members of said 1 frames provided with a plurality of recesses in their front faces, and co-acting elements carried by the rear facesvof said pilasters and entering said recesses to interlock with said cross-pieces whereby to removably maintain said pilasters in position to overlie the joints between the shelves and the respective upright supporting members.

*8. In a shelving structure a plurality of front and rear posts, members connecting the upper and lower ends of front and rear posts said posts provided with horizontally disposed spaced recesses upon facing portionsthereof, and vertical grooves in their faces at an angle to said recessedfaces, cleats co-acting with said front and rear posts and consisting of angle iron of inverted L-section, the ends of the horizontal flanges of said cleats fitting the recess in said posts, L- shaped extensions on the vertical flanges of said cleats the lateral portions thereof inserted in the vertical grooves in saidposts, and shelves supported by said cleats.

9. A cleat for shelvingconsisting of an angle-metal strip of L-section, the ends of the vertical flange thereof being provided with ''a hooked extension, in combination with posts provided with longitudinal grooves to receive the lateral portions of said hooks and having transverse grooves to receive the end portions of the horizontal 5 flange of said cleat.

10. A cleat for shelving consisting of an angle-metal strip of inverted L-section, the ends of the horizontal flange thereof are cut away to provide L-shaped extensions on the vertical flange in combination with posts provided with longitudinal grooves to receive the lateral ends of said extensions and having transverse grooves to receive the ends of the horizontal flange of said cleat.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 13th day of August,

HENRY HANSEN BROWN. 

